Seed-planter



(No Model.)

J. E. GOODWIN.

. SEEDV PLANTER.

10.282.715 Patented Aug. 7, 188s.

UNIT-ED STATES JOI-IN E. GOODVIN, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

i ATENT Fries.

sEEo--PLANTEa SPECIFICATION forming,` part of Letters Patent No. 282,715, dated August '7, 1883.

i Application filed April 4, 1882. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. GOODWIN, of Memphis, in' the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seed-Planting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

` partly broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical section longitudinally of the machine; Fig. 3, a transverse section in elevation, and Figs. 4,' 5, and 6 are details of the mechanism.

A isV the frame ofthe machine, composed of two longitudinal sills, a, and transverse sills a, borne upon the wheelv B, and having ahandle-frame, C, and a share or cutter, D, at the front end, directly in advance of the wheel. The carrying-wheel in the present instance is fixed to its axle, and to the latteris fixed a disk, E, which has upon its face concentric racks e, with equidistant teeth, but increasing in number as they approach the periphery, so that they may give a greater number of revolutions to the pinion e', sliding upon the shaft F, suitably supported and running horizontally from the wheel to the front of the machine. Instead, however, of attaching the disk to the shaft 'and the shaft to the wheel, the latter may turnfreely upon its axle, and the disk be fixed to its spokes or to its rim, the effect in either case being the ,sa1ne. At the front of the main frame, in advance of the wheel and just behind the share, is mounted a seed-hopper, G, and beneath this hopper, reaching nearlyto the foot of the share, so as to travel close to the surface of the ground behind the latter, is a spout or funnel, H. The

hopper is not supported' upon the frame-that is, not rigidly-but rests upon a bracket-piece, I, pivoted to the front cross-piece, and sliding in a keeper, i, upon the adjacent rearV sill. At

the rear end of this bracket is pivoted one end l of a lever, K, having4 its axis of movement upon the cross-piece of the handle-frame and its hand-hold near to the hand-holds of said frame, where it travels upon a rack, so that it ma be moved to one side or the other to throw the hopper and the parts which itk supports either to the right or to the left. Mounted within the hopper is a conical shell-wheel, Il, having worm-teethl around its periphery .and openings Z through its conical body. A lworm, L', on the shaft F engages with this wheel, so that as said shaft is revolved by the carrying-wheel it will turn the conical Wheel, hereinafter called the feed-wheel. At the front end of the worm is an enlargement or lnocker, Z2, of sufficient size to enter the full Vspace between each tooth of the wheel, while the threads of the worin itself are adapted only to engage with the crests of such teeth. Immediately beneath this knocker the bottom of the hopper is cut away to enter the spout or funnel, so that whatever is disengaged from the interdental spaces by the revolution of the knocker may be shot down into the funnel and .delivered to the furrow in the ground. Ex- `cept at this point, the hopper closes beneath the spur-teeth of the feed-wheel, so that nothing can escape between them. Therefore, as the wheel revolves the seed will fill in between said teeth, and will be carried around until it reaches the cut-awayportion, when the knockdental space turn by turn and send themdown the funnel to be delivered in the furrow.

Thus far the, machine is adapted only for planting seeds. Vhen it is desired to use it for distributing fertilizers, or to combine fertilizing and seeding, aseeond hopper, M, will be mounted inside the first, so as to shut over the feed-wheel immediately within its wormteeth and cut off the perforations through the body of said wheel from the interdental spaces. Preferably, also, as will appear from the following description, this hopper will be used in seed-planting to prevent the seed contained in the outer hopper from entering or clogging said perforations. The inner or concave face of the feed-wheel is formed with grinding ribs or teeth, and opposite to it, or beneath it, mounted upon a supporting-bracket and rising within it, parallel with its walls, is a stationer will clearthem from each successive inter- IOO ary conical grinder, N, having at regular intervals along its periphery small openings m,

vdelivering into the funnel beneath. When this inner hopper is in place and filled with fertilizers, the latter will enter through the perforations in the feed-wheel to the grindingspace beneath and be pulverized between said wheel and the fixed cone, passing in, a comminuted form from said grinding-space into thc funnel, and thence to the ground, either continuously or in jets, in advance of the seed, er in jets immediately after the seed, as desired by the operator, who can readily manipulate the machine to determine this. Should the inner hopper be empty, grain or seed filled into the outer hopper will ofcourse be planted Without any accompanying fertilizer, and

should, on the contrary, the outer hopper be empty,the fertilizer will be delivered without seed. y

In order to loosen the seeds, which might otherwise be caked together before they reach the interdental spaces ofthe feed-wheel, a light shaft, O, is mounted transversely of the seedhopper and provided with radial fingers 0, which, as it is revolved lby the worm-Wheel 0 uponits extreme end, meshing with the worm on the prime shaft, strike and penetrate into the mass and continuously stir it, so as to loosen the seeds one from another immediately before they reach said spaces. rlhis same stirringshaft may also be provided with fingers inside of the fertilizer-hopper, which will be suitably slotted to sit over it, and be removed whenever desired.

As both Vhoppers and their spout or funnel and other contents are mounted upon the swinging bracket, they can be readily thrown away from the worm-shaft, which is mounted in fixed bearings, thereby taking the feedwheel and the stirring-shaft `wheel out of engagement with the worm and stopping the,

machine whenever desired.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the supporting-frame, the carrying-wheel, the worm-shaft driven thereby, the conical feed-wheel, with its wormteeth, engaging with the worm on said shaft, the knocker on the worm-shaft clearing the interdental spaces of said wheel, and the seedhopper delivering to. the wheel 'and inclosed beneath its teeth, except directly underneath the knocker.

l2. rIhe combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the supporting-frame, the carrying-wheel, the worm-shaft driven thereby, the conical feed-wheel, .with its wormteeth, engaging with said Worm, the knockerv on the worm-shaft clearing the interdentalspaces of said teeth, the seed-hopper inclosed beneath said teeth, except at the point beneath the knocker, the fertilizer hopper mounted within the flanks of said teeth, and the conical grinder beneath.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth', of the supporting-frame, the carrying-wheel, the disk driven thereby, having concentric racks, the worm-shaft having a sliding pinion adapted to engage with any one of said racks, the feed-wheel engaging with the worm, the knocker upon said worm clearing the interdental spaces of said feedwheel,- the hopper inclosing said wheel and 'incasing its teeth, except beneath the knock'er,

and the spout or funnel beneath.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the supporting-frame, the carrying-wheel, the worm-shaft driven by said wheel, the feed-wheel driven by the worm, the seed-hopper inclosing said wheel 'and incasing its teeth beneath, except at one point, and the sti rrin g-shaft and :its pini'on engaging with said Worm to lighten the seeds in the seed-hopper.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the supporting-frame, the carrying wheel, the worm-shaft which it drives, the conical feed-wheel having wormteeth engaging with the vworm on said shaft,

the stirring-shaft having a pinionalso engaging with said Worm, the seed-hopper, the concentric -fertilizer hopper, the supportingbracket, and the lever.

6. The combination, substantially ashereinbefore set forth, of the supporting-frame, the carrying-wheel, the worm-shaft which it drives, the conical perforated feed-wheel, the u conical grinder beneath said wheel, the funlbefore set forth, of the supporting-frame, the

carrying-wheel, the worm-shaft driven by said wheel, the knocker on the worm, the conical IIO feed-wheel having perforations and wormteeth, the seed-hopper incasing said teeth, except beneath the knocker, the removable fertilizer-hopper, the grinding-cone beneath the feed-wheel, the stirring-shaft, the pivotcd bracketysupporting said feed-wheel, cone, and hoppers, the spout or funnel, also supported by said bracket, and the lever for swinging the bracket toward and from theworm. f

J. E. GOODWIN.

Witnesses:

M. WV. BEARDsLnY, GEO. XV. Srnnnv. 

